The latest catastrophe headed towards Florida is Hurricane Milton, a Category 4 monster that Tampa mayor Jane Castor is warning the public will kill anyone who does not evacuate before its arrival.
In a statement to CNN, Castor specifically warned residents of Tampa and surrounding areas that if they choose to "stay in one of those evacuation areas, you're gonna die."
The "once in a lifetime" storm started out small only to rapidly intensify from a Category 1 to a Category 5 hurricane on Monday with sustained winds surpassing 180 mph. Since that time, winds have slowed ever so slightly to bring Milton down to a Category 4, but there is still a lot more warm, open water to go before the storm reaches Tampa.
The National Hurricane Center says Milton could regain its strength while growing in size. This would pose "even more danger" for the people of Tampa Bay, which has not seen a storm anywhere close to this size in over 100 years.
What happened with Hurricane Helene should have been a "wake-up call," Castor says, because now Milton is on its way with an impact that could be "literally catastrophic," she says.
(Related: Hurricane Helene victims are reporting that neither Joe Biden nor Kamala Harris have so much as lifted a finger to provide support: "There is no government aid. None. Zero.")
Biden approves emergency declaration while pledging "life-saving resources in advance of the storm"
To avoid the public relations nightmare that came with Helene, President Biden is getting ahead of Milton by approving an emergency declaration while pledging "life-saving resources in advance of the storm."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has reportedly stocked up his state with millions of gallons of fuel and truckloads of food, water and medical supplies. There are also flood protection systems and Starlink modules being distributed to help safeguard "critical infrastructure."
DeSantis warned in a morning news conference ahead of the storm that Milton could leave an "indelible mark" on the communities it hits.
"There are some hurricanes where it stinks, we have to deal with it, but we pick up and move forward," DeSantis said, but Milton with its wind speeds topping 180 mph could be a game-changer.
"Let's pray that it's as weak as possible," he said. "We are preparing for it to be as strong as possible."
As for looters who might try to take advantage of Florida property owners during this time, DeSantis has promised harsh penalties for anyone who is caught. DeSantis says he will "throw the book" at anyone who is caught taking advantage of storm victims.
"This is not going to be an opportunity for folks to take advantage of people," DeSantis warned. "If you think this is an opportunity to loot, you've got another thing coming."
"Do not try and take advantage of people who are suffering because of the results of the storm. We will be very swift across all levels of government to throw the book at people."
The latest reports suggest that Milton is once again on the verge of becoming a Category 5 hurricane as it undergoes rapid intensification. Time will tell how severe the storm is by the time it makes landfall somewhere near Tampa Bay.
"There's no guarantee what the weather's going to be like starting Wednesday morning," DeSantis said at a press briefing.
"You may have a window where it may be safe, but you may not. So use today as your day to finalize and execute the plan that is going to protect you and your family. Basically, the entire peninsula portion of Florida is under some type of either watch or warning."
It seems like one disaster after another these days. Learn more at Disaster.news.
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